‘Arrow’ Actor Trains in Fighting, Parkour, Archery

If permitted, actor Stephen Amell would do all the stunts performed by his character in the upcoming TV series, “Arrow.”

But the lack of time and concern about his welfare means most will be done by a stunt double or through computer-generated imagery, or CGI, he said during a recent panel discussion.

Amell, who plays the lead role of Oliver Queen/Arrow in the CW show debuting Oct. 10, was joined by three of the show’s executive producers at the Paley Center for Media in Los Angeles. The discussion was distributed on the Internet through Livestream.

“Arrow” is based on the DC Comics superhero Green Arrow, who first appeared in 1941.

A CW description of the show says “billionaire playboy Oliver Queen was missing and presumed dead for five years before being discovered alive on a remote island.” He returns home and seems to resume his former life but “he secretly creates the persona of Arrow–a vigilante–to right the wrongs of his family, fight the ills of society and restore Starling City to its former glory.”

To prepare for the role, Amell started with the basics of fighting, then took up parkour and eventually archery.

Arnell said he got to do a lot of the archery in the pilot but a stunt double does most of the shooting in the series because of the time it would take to train him and ensure that he could do all the stunts safely.

“He would do everything if we would let him,” said executive producer Andrew Kreisberg.

Arnell said he has been warned that archery fans will be watching the show as carefully as will fans of the comic-book character.

Before he started practicing, he was shown a 45-minute video of clips of the many ways archery has been poorly portrayed in movies and on TV.

He described what he has learned from his training. “To draw the bow properly, you have to be relaxed,” he said. “I’ve been able to take that into other aspects of my life, including acting.”

Executive producer Greg Berlanti said the producers chose to do the Green Arrow story as a TV series rather than a movie because of the opportunity to do a “multiyear origin story.”

“The wonderful thing about TV is you can go deeper and deeper,” said Berlanti, who created the miniseries “Political Animals,” shown on USA this summer, as well as the cult hit “Everwood.”

Executive producer Marc Guggenheim, who created the ABC show “Eli Stone” with Berlanti, said “Arrow” adheres pretty closely to the comic. Both Guggenheim and Kreisberg have written for DC Comics. They said Amell was the first person who auditioned, and no one else measured up.

Kreisberg pointed out that Amell is really playing four parts at once: the young Oliver who has just arrived on island, shown in flashbacks; the older Oliver who returns home; the “fake Oliver” who pretends to resume his life as a playboy; and Oliver in his vigilante role of Arrow.

“It was not just about being good-looking and being in shape,” he said, adding that Amell had the required acting talent.

Amell, who had a recurring role on ABC’s “Private Practice” last season, said his co-stars on that drama all offered the same advice: “Lunchtime is for napping.”

He was not a big comic book fan growing up. “Wrestling was my thing.” But he read Superman, Lobo and Spawn and “had an inclination toward villains.” After the pilot was completed, he “read everything,” he said. “I’m definitely a fan now.”

The “Arrow” cast also includes Katie Cassidy as Oliver’s girlfriend, Laurel Lance; Susanna Thompson as Moira, his mother; and Paul Blackthorne as Lance’s father, Quentin, a police detective.

“Part of the fun of the series is watching the different colors of Moira,” Guggenheim said.

The producers said Justin Hartley, who played the character of Oliver Queen/Green Arrow on the WB/CW series “Smallville,” may appear in a cameo role on “Arrow.” “Smallville” was based on DC Comics Superman character.

Amell said he and Hartley have not discussed his role but they have talked about some of the crew members who worked on both shows.

While all refused to give any hints about the plot, Berlanti said, “Oliver shares his secret with someone pretty early on.” That “alleviates us having to do voiceovers,” he noted.